ATLANTIC OCEAN — The crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun (WMSL 759) seized approximately 10,000 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $74 million in the Atlantic Ocean, April 12-13, 2025.
The seized contraband was the result of an interdiction in international waters in the Atlantic Ocean, and five suspected smugglers remain in US custody pending prosecutorial disposition.
On April 12, the Calhoun, under tactical control of Coast Guard Atlantic Area, detected a suspicious fishing vessel in international waters exhibiting behavior consistent with narcotic trafficking approximately 1,265 miles west of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. Calhoun’s crew launched a cutter small boat and interdicted the suspicious vessel, apprehending five suspected smugglers and seizing approximately 10,000 pounds of cocaine.
“This interdiction demonstrates the Coast Guard’s unwavering commitment to combating transnational criminal organizations (TCOs),” said Vice Adm. Nathan Moore, commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area. “Our dedicated crews, in close coordination with interagency and international partners, continue to disrupt the flow of illicit narcotics, which serves as a critical strategic action that disrupts the financial networks of TCOs, undermining their ability to fund further illicit activities that threaten our communities.”
The Coast Guard is the United States’ lead federal maritime law enforcement agency with authority to enforce national and international laws on the high seas and waters within US jurisdiction. The Coast Guard continues increased operations to interdict, seize and disrupt transshipments of cocaine and other bulk illicit drugs by sea. These drugs fuel and enable cartels and TCOs to produce and traffic illegal fentanyl, threatening the United States.
Calhoun, which commissioned in 2024, is the newest of four, 418-foot, Legend-class national security cutters homeported in North Charleston, South Carolina. The cutter’s primary missions are counter-drug operations and defense readiness.
Calhoun falls under the command of US Coast Guard Atlantic Area, which is based in Portsmouth, Virginia. US Coast Guard Atlantic Area oversees all Coast Guard operations east of the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. In addition to surge operations, they also allocate ships to deploy to the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific to combat transnational organized crime and illicit maritime activity.
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